Page:Discourse Concerning Unlimited Submission.djvu/50

 to be here enjoined under a republic or aritocracy, or any other etablihed form of civil government; or to ubordinate powers, acting in an illegal and oppreive manner; (with the ame reaon) others may deny, that uch obedience is enjoined to a king or monarch, or any civil power whatever. For the apotle ays nothing that is peculiar to kings; what he ays, extends equally to all other perons whatever, veted with any civil office. They are all, in exactly the ame ene, the ordinance of God; and the miniters of God; and obedience is equally enjoined to be paid to them all. For, as the apotle exprees it, there is NO POWER but of God: And we are required to render to ALL their DUES; and not MORE than their DUES. And what thee dues are, and to whom they are to be rendered, the apotle ayeth not; but leaves to the reaon and conciences of men to determine.

it appears, that the common argument, grounded upon this paage, in favor of univeral, and paive obedience, really overthrows itelf, by proving too much, if it proves any thing at all; namely, that no civil officer is, in any cae whatever, to be reited, though acting in expres contradiction to the deign of his office; which no man, in his enes, ever did, or can aert.

we calmly conider the nature of the thing itelf, nothing can well be imagined more directly contrary to common ene, than to uppoe that millions of people hould be ubjected to the arbitrary, precarious